There's no use in bloating it up here: It's end-of-game execution. That proved to be Virginia Tech's bane in the 2025-26 season, resulting in nine single-digit losses — including four by one possession and three by a single point.

Like the period entering last campaign, the Hokies' roster has seen a dramatic overhaul; only five of the 15 players on this season's squad were on last year's team. Preceding the 2025-26 season, only four returned from the 2024-25 team that came before it. Case in point, Virginia Tech is going a similar route — the transfer portal — but attacking it in a different way.

The distinction, however, won't mean much if the Hokies find themselves repeating the same mistakes that plagued them a season ago. Close games are an inevitability in ACC play, and while Virginia Tech proved capable of competing in those contests, its inability to consistently finish them ultimately became one of the defining characteristics of its season.…